Apple TV Streaming Sound Quality vs Streamer?

A very nice thread, the only one with useful advices I could find nowadays.

So, basically, the total: there is no a cheap dual-wifi/equal to HDMi-audi-connection device that sounds the same as wired HDMI/optical and doesn't have an inner DAC. So if I wanna use an external DAC/AV connected either way to ATV, I can't find it on the market with a low price as just a streaming device (only AEX/ATV/Chromecast) just to transfer audio. And the only way that I may try is a Synrcho-Mesh for low jitter, but nothing will make it as good as HDMI/optical, because the lower a bandwidth/upsampling still be presented.

And just a rhetorical question: why just there is no such a device that provides a full bandwidth and not being a DAC > 200$? What's the point if it's a really needed thing for hi-fi/MQA with either a Tidal/CD/wav/flac. I started to dive in all that not a long time ago, but this is the main issue I stuck with and now siting with HDMI Mac-->DAC :-D

HDMI is not hi-res, but Toslink can be depending on the source. Not sure what you are saying here.

Steve, what means "HDMI is not hi-res"? HDMI 1.3 by its spec is a Dolby TrueHD / DTS-HD Master Audio bitstream compatible if devices support it. And even if we suggest that HDMI doesn't pass a bitstream hi-res signal, but using it instead of ATV's AirPlay with 16/44.1(-->48) is a huuuge difference, even for my non-perfect ears. And the signal is already PCM/88.2 on AV.

I'm also sorry if I speak incorrect details here, please correct me.

Steve, thx for your response. Just making it clear. If HDMI supports bitstream, that means it transfers a digital signal bit-by-bit, so there can be no jitter lugs whatsoever. E.g. when you transfer a digital video via HDMI you can’t see a radio-style noise on like on old TV screens, because the data comes as is. The only possible visual artefacts you may encounter is a "snow" on some bad cheap cables or don't see anything at all because the data is corrupted. But if it’s a properly made HDMI cable then it doesn’t affect a digital data is transfers. So I just want to make everything clear step-by-step, for example: why 18Gbps (2.0) is not enough to transfer a bitstream hi-res audio via HDMI when here can be no jitter/need for reclockers/etc.?

Sure it does. The better the HDMI cable, the more clear and focused the picture will be.

Not true. The picture is digital, pixel-by-pixel. It's not a radio signal. For example, some answers from proper guys here https://goo.gl/Wx7Skp HDMI doesn't have an error-correction protocol, but you either get a picture as-is or don't get it at all.

For $150 for the iFi SPDIF iPurifier, what do you have to lose? Just return it to Amazon if it doesn't work for you. This will give you a small taste of what a reclocker can do.

Agreed. Waiting for my Chromecast Audio/iPurifier to try.